Polly Carey Draper (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. Draper has received several awards, including a

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

(WGA), and is noted for speaking in a "

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...

throaty voice." She gained recognition for her starring role in the ABC drama television series ''

Thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust ...

'' (1987–91). Draper co-starred in her

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, deve ...

debut '' The Tic Code'' (1998) and Off-Broadway in her

playwriting A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

''Getting into Heaven'' (2003). In mid-2004, she wrote her directing debut '' The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie'', and created and showran the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

musical comedy series '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–09), which won her a WGA for Children's Script: Long Form or Special. Draper also wrote, directed, and co-starred in the film ''

Stella's Last Weekend ''Stella's Last Weekend'' is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Polly Draper and starring her sons, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff. Plot College freshman Jack returns to his home in the New York suburbs, in the wake of his dog Stel ...

'' (2018).

Personal life

Draper was born in

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...

, to Phyllis (née Culbertson), a

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

administrator, and William Henry Draper III, who was the CEO of the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

and president and chairman of the

US Export-Import Bank The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. She has two siblings:

venture capitalist Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...

Tim Draper and Rebecca Draper. Her grandfather is banker and diplomat William Henry Draper Jr. Draper grew up in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, as well as in

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

and Arlington,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. She earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

(1977) and

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts a ...

from the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

(1980). Following a seven-year marriage with playwright

Kevin Wade Kevin Wade (born March 9, 1954) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Early life and career Wade was born in Chappaqua, New York, and attended Connecticut College. Before his writing career took off, Wade acted in two films fo ...

, Draper married musician Michael Wolff after meeting him in 1991 when making a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

on the

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show popular in the United States, where the format originated. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It i ...

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted the late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Co ...

'', where Wolff served as the

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues o ...

. Wolff's life with

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...

influenced ''The Tic Code''; he provided the score. She and Wolff have two sons,

Nat Nat or NAT may refer to: Computing * Network address translation (NAT), in computer networking Organizations * National Actors Theatre, New York City, U.S. * National AIDS trust, a British charity * National Archives of Thailand * National ...

and

Alex Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple p ...

; the latter three played the father and sons in '' The Naked Brothers Band'' series and film, which also featured Draper's niece, Jesse, as the band's babysitter. More recently, she starred with her sons as their mother in ''Stella's Last Weekend''. Draper is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

; she voted for Democratic presidential candidates

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Her father and late grandfather, William Henry Draper Jr., were members of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. Draper's late mother, Phyllis, was also a friend of former US first lady

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously w ...

's since the late 1980s; the two first met when Draper's father was leading the United Nations.

Career

Draper began her acting career appearing Off-Broadway, including a role in ''Split'' (1980). She later starred as Ellyn Warren in the ABC drama television series ''

'' (1987–91), and in 1993, as Adrian in the NBC television movie adaptation of Danielle Steel's ''Heartbeat''. She starred in the off-Broadway production of ''Four Dogs and a Bone'' (1993), and also made appearances on TV shows, such as ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

'' (1998); ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

''; and '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', both in 2002; as well as in the

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

TV movie '' Too Young to Marry'' in 2007. Draper played Laura Caraday in her screenwriting debut '' The Tic Code'' (1999). In 2003, she starred as Cat, a lesbian with a

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

, and provided lead vocals and lyrics for, her playwriting ''Getting Into Heaven'' (2003) at

The Flea Theater The Flea Theater, founded in 1996, is a theater in the TriBeCa section of New York City. It presents primarily new American theater and provides a venue for film stars to act on a very small (74-seat) stage, as well as a smaller black box theat ...

; the music was also composed and performed by her husband. She played Nina in the Broadway production of '' Brooklyn Boy'' in 2005. In addition, Draper was the creator,

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy ...

, and director of the hit

musical comedy series '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–09), which was adapted by the pilot movie of the same name that she originally wrote and directed as an independent film in mid-2004. In 2010, she appeared with a recurring guest role in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

comedic television drama '' The Big C''. Draper directed her youngest son's play ''What Would Woody Do?'' (2010) at The Flea Theater. In 2011, she also wrote and starred in an episode of the Current TV science fiction series '' Bar Karma'' and appeared in the play ''My Brilliant Divorce'' (2012) at the Bay Street Theater. Since then, she appeared in the film ''

Side Effects In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...

'' and in the CBS television drama '' Golden Boy'', both in 2013. In 2014, Draper appeared in the film '' Obvious Child''. Draper portrayed Sally in her film, ''

'', released in 2018. In 2020, she appeared in Emma Seligman's film '' Shiva Baby'' as the main character's mother, Debbie. ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

'' said that "Draper's refreshing take on a Jewish mother brightens" the film, and '' Variety'' called her performance "delightfully witty". ''Edge'' said that "Draper deserves awards attention for her amusing yet keen embodiment of the Jewish mother". ''Rough Cut'' compares her performance in the film to her similar role in ''Obvious Child''.

Awards

In 1988, Draper’s work on ''

'' earned her an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In addition, ''Four Dogs and a Bone'' (1993) won her a ''New York Magazine'' award for Best Broadway Actress. For '' The Tic Code'' (1998), she received the Bronze Gryphon award for Best Actress at the Giffoni Film Festival. Draper obtained the Audience Award for a Family Feature Film for '' The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie'' at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2005. She received two Writers Guild Award nominations for '' The Naked Brothers Band'' TV series (2007–09). The first, in 2007, Draper was nominated in the section of Children's Episodic Shows & Specials for the episode "Nat is a Stand Up Guy". She also won the Children's Script: Long Form or Special category for the TV movie "

Polar Bears The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear spec ...

" in 2009. In August 2018, ''

'' won Draper the Grand Prize at the San Antonio Film Festival.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Polly 1955 births Actresses from Palo Alto, California American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors Television producers from California American women television producers American television writers American women film directors American women screenwriters California Democrats Living people American women film producers Writers from Palo Alto, California American women television directors American women television writers Writers Guild of America Award winners Yale School of Drama alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Film directors from California Screenwriters from California Film producers from California Draper family